Washing machine



Dec. 6, 1924. 1,519,715 A. w. ALTORFER WASHING MACHINE Filed June 18. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INIYENTDE.

Dec. '1 1924. 1,519,715

' A. W. ALTO'RFER WASZLING MACHINE Filed June 18. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES- ALPHEUS w. ALTORFER, or rnonm, nL'moIs.

WASHING MAcnmn Application filed June 18, 1924. Serial No. 720,727.

To all/whom it may canoe m:

Be it known that ALrHnUs W. ALTOBIER, a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

- My invention relates towashing machines.

The invention has special reference to operating means for a liquid container to efi'ect agitation within the latter to the end of promoting proper washing of materials.

The primary object of my invention is to promote agitating action by a swinging and attendant tipping movement as distinguished from a rotary or reciprocal movement or both of the container wherein such activity is accomplished through a continuous circular activityof a connecting member with said receptacle whereby reversing ac-' tion is entirely eliminated.

A feature of the invention includes a novel support for the receptacle adapted to hold the receptacle in an inclined or tipped position at all times and constructed topermit the inclined receptacle to swing bodily.

about a pointlocated above the bottom of the receptacle.

The invention also includes means for supporting the container including a ring member coactively related to the container andv the framing members and pivoted respectively to each in such angular relationship as to permit the container to be swung bodily about a vertical axis extended through the point of intersection of radial lines through the respective pivotal supports.

The invention further includes the specific means herein shown for supporting the receptacle to enable it to function as hereinbefore indicated which includes the pivoting of a ring member to the frame support and the receptacle to the ring, the said pivots being arranged at right angles relative to one another, whereby the normal resistance of-the pivotal connections respectively of the receptacle and the ring will be compensated for by the capability of the container and the ring to yield under such resistance and to tilt relatively in opposed directions under the force supplied to cause the receptacle to be tilted in a continuously varying plane.

The invention also includes driving means for effecting the swinging action of the receptacle While maintained in its tilted position.

In a further aspect, this invention pro vides a novel method of washing clothes in a more efficient and thorough manner than heretofore employed.

These and other features of the invention and the novel method referred to will appear more fully from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Y

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my device as viewed froma given angle.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation similar to that A shown in Fig. 1, showing the tub as it would I appear after crank mechanism had made a quarter turn in the direction of arrow. See Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view partly in section showing driving means for effecting movement of the receptacle and of details with respect to gear connection thereto.

Fig. 5 is a plan view partly in section as viewed from line 5-5 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a detailed view partly in section a ring member with a container.

showing a common'manner of connecting Applicants experience through many years of manufacture of washing machines has afforded experience in the production of practically every class of washing device including what are commonly known in the trade as dolly type, cylinder type, and oscillatingtype, and it is with a view to improving and simplifying such known types of machines that his thought has been di- 95 rected and which resulted in the developtype a,reversing action is necessary and is attended with a jar and violent precipitation of the container content which is undesirable and'is attended with the necessity of special gear arrangement that -is not necessary in the. matter of development of the use of my present exemplified device.

In the present device a simple swinging of the receptacle in a constant direction about a line extending through the vertical axis of the driving means causes the proper agitation within the container to effect quicker and better washing than may be had in the use of' the several above numcrated types of machines and this throughthe action of the simplest type of driving mechanism as will be apparent from the disclosure herein.

I are shown or any special means provided to supplement the normal agitation developed as a result of the peculiar movement of the container, nevertheless, in practice, suitable bafiies may be provided or the body of the container may be fashioned as desired to effect such supplemental agitation, although this construction is not necessarily essential to the successful functioning of the device.

Referring to the principal supporting means for the container, 13 is a band applied to the upper edge of the container and is preferably fixed thereto.- 14 is a frame ring or band designed to be fixed to the vertically disposed framing members 10, and 15 is a ring member interposedbetween bandmembers 13 and 14 and relatively spaced therebetween, said ring member being pivotally supported inconnection with band members 14 as at .16 (see Figs. 2 and 3) said pivots being positioned relatively to coincide with a. radial line extending through the exact vertical center of the top portion of the container. The container is supported a from ring member 15 bv means of pivot members .17 positioned relatively on a radial line extending through theexact vertical center of the upper portion of the receptaele and in exact right angled relationship to the pivotal connections ofthe. rin memberf13 to the band member 14, where y rotary movement of an operating member, connected withthe bottom portion of container and axially disposed with respect to the vertical center thereof, and eccentrically with respect to axis of the driving means, will cause the container to be swung about the axis of said dr1v1n means thereby causing the contamer to e progressively titled with'respectsource of power.

suitably journaled upon a stub shaft as 19,

connected with cross framing member 11, said shaft being provided with a hub portion 20 to which said hub member is connected. A crank arm 21 is provided with the upwardly extending boss or stud 22 exteriorl y threaded as at 23 and with its upper face fashioned with a circular depression as 24 adapted to receive a ball member associated with an operating member connected with a container-Q 25 is a drive shaft supported in cross framing member 11 adapted to be driven from any suitable 26 is a gear member fixed on said shaft and adapted to mesh with gear member 18 whereby as shaft26 is driven, gear member 18 will be truned about its axial center imparting a similar movement to crank arm 21. k

A spindle 27 serves as an operating member for the container andis adapted tobe lixed to the bottom portion of the latter as by meansof the flanged plate as shown connected with said spindle and to project some distance therefrom, said operating member being provided, as'hereinbefore noted, with the ball fashioned extremity as 28, said ball member being seated in the depression in 24 of boss member 22 on crank arm 21, said members being properly related for coactive relationship by means of a. perforated interiorly threaded cap nut 29 through relative thread engagement between said cap-nut and boss member.

While the operation of the different parts and the cycle of the machine as a whole have been set forthin the foregoing description, they, may be preferably summarized as follows: When the source of power is connected ,to the crank arm 21, the inclined tub or receptacle is given a swinging movement about a substantially fixed point located near the top of the tub at the intersection of a prolongation of the drivi'n axis 19 and the vertical axis of the tub. 'lhe progressive tilting of the tub abottl? this point causes a dashing wave motion; of the water contents of the till) about, toward and from a point located in the vertical axis of the tub. This wave motion off the contents results from the varying positions which the tub progressively assumes whereby the water content is continuously driven or hurled toward the central axis of the tub during the swinging movement of the latter.

What I claim is:

1. In a washing machine, a tub, means at the upper part of the tub for supporting the same for tilting movement in all directions while leaving the tub unobstructed from above, and means operable from below said supporting means for efiecting the universal tilting of the tub on the supporting means.

2. In a washing machine, a tub, supporting means within which the upper part of the tub is movably mounted to enable the same to tilt in all directions, and me'ans for effecting the universal tilting of the tub on said supporting means.

8. A washing machine having in combination, a support, a tub, means for suspending the tub for universal tilting movement from said support, above the vertical center of said tub, the said suspending means being constructed and arranged to permit a wave motion of the tub about, toward and from a point lying approximately in the vertical axis thereof, and means efi'ecting the movement of the tub.

4. In a washing m'achine, a support, a tub, means wholly interposed directly laterally between adjacent portions of the body of the tub and said support for supporting the tub for tilting movement in all directions within the support, and means for eflecting the tilting of the tub.

5. In a washing machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of a tub, movable rigid connecting means between the top portion of the tub and the supporting frame ermitting the tub to tilt in every direction rom a central point in the plane of the con-- necting means. and means operable from movement on an axis located above the bottom of the tub, and means for effecting said tilting movement comprising rotatable. operating means, the axis of. which intersects the axis of tilting movement of the tub, and an off-set connection between said rotatable operating means and the bottom of the tub, the:

axis of said oil-set connecting means also intersecting the axis of tilting movement of the tub, the oft-set connecting means being of a length to prevent the tub from assuming a horizontal position at any point of rotation of the rotatable perating means.

8. The method of washing articles which consists in depositing said articles in a body of liquid and imparting thereto a dashing wave motion from substantially all points toward, from, and about a substantially fixed central top portion of said body of liquid.

9. A .washing machine having incombination, a permanently tilted tub, a gimel ring for supporting the tub between the top and bottom thereof for tilting movement in all directions about a substantially fixed point within the confines of the tub, and means for efiecting the tilting of the tub.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALPI-IEUS W. ALTQRIfER. 

